Universal joints have in the past been provided with mechanisms for detachably engaging tool attachments. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,660,491 (Roberts, et al.) and 5,433,548 (Roberts, et al.), assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose several versions of such mechanisms. Other mechanisms for universal joints are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,614,457 (Sammon, see column 3, line 32), and 5,291,809 (Fox, III), as well as in US published patent application 2005/0229752 A1 (Nickipuck).
In addition, many mechanisms have been described for detachably engaging tool attachments to an extension bar, and extension bars are on occasion connected to universal joints. See, for example, the mechanisms disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,848,196 (Roberts, et al.), 5,214,986 (Roberts, et al.), 5,233,892 (Roberts, et al.), 5,501,125 (Roberts, et al.), and 5,644,958 (Roberts, et al.), all assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Other such mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,781,085 (Fox, III) and 4,768,405 (Nickipuck).